Machine for operating on soles



T. H. SEELY.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING 0N SOLES.

APPLICA ION FILED VAR. I9. 1918.

Patented June 22, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

T. H. SEELY.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SOLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19, 1918.

Patented June 22, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

of the feather.

- constructed to impart a greater feeding.

UNITED STA ES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. SEELY, or MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNQR To UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, or PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

,MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J n 22 192() Application filed March 19, 1918. Serial No.'223,373.

To all whom. it may concern.

Be it known that I, a citizen of the United States, residing at Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Operating on Soles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled. in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to machines for operating on soles which are used in the manufacture of boots and shoes, and more particularly to machines for operating on soles provided with a marginal rib or lip, such, for example, as welt insoles.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a rib tightening machine by which the fabric on a reinforced insole is set firmly against the rib, more particularly at the base of the upstanding rib where it joins the body of the insole. Certain features of the invention, as willbe recognized by those skilled in the art from the following description, are not limited to use in a machine for performing the rib tightening operation but may be employed advanta geously in other types of machines for applying reinforcing fabric to insoles; and certain features of the invention may be employed with equal advantage in machines for operating upon lipped insoles whether or not reinforcing fabric is applied thereto.

One type of machines for operating upon lipped insoles, feeds the work by means of two rolls which engage the opposite sides It has been found difficult with such machines to turn a pointed toe sole around the end of the toe, as heretofore the feeding rolls have been so constructed and arranged that, on the turn, they tend to continue to feed the work in a Straight line,

thus causing the inside lip tool to strain the lip outwardly when engaged at *the point of the toe. ,One object of the present in vention is to overcome this difficulty and to produce a machine which will enable the operator to guide the sole easily around the end of the toe. To the accomplishment of this object, one feature of the inventioncontemplates the provision of feeding means THoMAs H. SEELY,

movement to the outer margin of the feather than 1s imparted to its inner margin. Such feeding means, it will be observed, provides anormal tendency to'feed the work in a circular path.

' Another object of theinvention is to improve the construction and mode of operation of the lip engaging tools whereby a firm but yielding pressure may be applied to the lip for the purpose of tightening the r1b of a reinforced insole, or molding thelip of an all leather insole.

To the accomplishment of these objects and such others as may hereinafter appear, as will readily be understood by those skilled in the art, the invention comprises certain devices, combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

' The various features of the present 1nvention will be best understood from an inspection of the accompanying: drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevationof the machine;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3 and 41 are detail views, in section, showing the relation of the work engaging tools and the insole at'difi'erent times in the cycle of the machine.

' In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the work is fedby two positively driven rolls 10 and 12 (Figs. 1, 3 and 4); the roll 10 forming the work support which co-acts with the feed roll 12 to grip the feather of the sole therebetween on a line transverse to the line of feed and feed the work in a manner to gain the advantage hereinbefore adverted to. To this end the feather engaging portions 14 of the rollsconical surfaces 14; engaging the outer edge of the feather will tend to feed that portion of thefeather at a greater speed than the portion near the base of the lip which is engaged by the smaller diameter of the conical surfaces 14-. By this construction if the sole is unrestrained either by the hand of the operator or the engagement of the lip with the generally vertical face of the feed roll 12, the sole tends to feed in a circular path about an axis passing substantially through the point 16. hen the end of the toe is reached any slight guiding pressure exerted upon the sole will. cause it to turn about a center coinciding with the radius of the toe and thus overcome the injury or deformation of the lip which has heretofore taken place.

The toe work engaging rolls are arranged to be separated to permit the insertion and removal of work without cessation of their feeding movement. To this end the work supporting roll 10 is mounted on a stud 24: clamped in the split end of a pivoted arm 26,"by a cap'screw 28. The arm 26 (Figs. 1 and 2) is loosely mounted on the main driving shaft 18 between the sides of the machine frame 30 and may be lowered to free the work but is normally urged upwardly, so as to grip the insole feather between the rolls 10 and 12, by a spring 32 housed in the arm backed bv a plunger 34: hearing against the machine frame 30. The lower end of the hub of the work supporting roll 10 is provided with an integral worm gear 36 which meshes with a worm 38ifixed on a shaft 11) mounted in suitable hearings in the arm 26. The shaft 40 is arranged to be driven by the main driving shaft 18 through a pair of spur gears -12 and let inclosed by a cover 46. The upwardmovement of the arm 26 under the action of the spring 32 is limited, when there is no work in the machine, by a. pair of lock nuts 52 on a treadle rod 54: which engage the lower side of a lug 56 on the column 58. The treadle rod is connected, atits upper end with the arm 26 and its lower end is provided with a suitable treadle (not shown) by which the arm may be depressed to separate the rolls to enter and remove the work. The downward movement of the arm is limited by an adjustable collar (50 on the treadle rod 5 1 so as to prevent the worm from being drawn out of mesh with the worm gear 51); The inopera ti ve portion of the work supporting roll 10 is inclosed by a work rest 62 mounted onv the arm- 26.v V

The feed roll 12 is secured to one end of a shaft 4-8 mounted in a bearing in the frame 30. The other end of the shaft 18 carries a worm gear 50 which meshes with the worm 38, both rolls thus being driven from a single source of power. By the proper ratio of gearing the rolls 10 and 12 have equal peripheral speeds thus producing a relative rolling movement. The shaft 1.8 is provided with the usual tight and loose pulleys 20 and 22 for belt connection with a source of power.

The feature of this invention which re latcs to the lip engaging tools resides in the construction and mode of operation of a tool (3 1 which coacts with the face (36 of the feed roll 12 to compress the'lip thereby firmly applying the fabric to the entire surface of the lip. The tool (ht is arranged to pound the lip, with a. yielding blow, as it is fed by the rolls l and 12. The lower end of the tool 6% is properly formed to produce the desired shape of the lip and the face 66 of the feed roll' 1.2 is given a formation complemental to that of the tool and forms an outside'lip support. As illustrated in Fig. 3 the lower end of the tool may be provided with an enlarged head 63 to enter the angle between the lip and the body of the sole thereby providing formolding the lip inward toward the center of the sole. The upper end of the tool is provided with an enlarged shank '70 which is loosely seated in a recess 78 in a lever 72 pivotally mounted on a. stud 74: in themachine frame.

The other end of the lever 72 is connected,

through an eccentric stud 76 which is st cured in adjusted position by a cap screw 78, with an eccentric link 80 actuated by an. eccentric 82 (Figs. 1 and 2) formed on the hub of the worm 38. By this construction a series of rapid oscillations is imparted to the tool G-l during the operation of the machine.

Provision .for causing the blow of the tool to be of a yielding nature is obtained by the manner in which the tool is mounted in the lever 72- which, in effect, is a ball :and socket connection. The shank T0 of the tool is of the general shape of a cone having its apex and base rounded. A plunger 84 (hi 3 and =1) is loosely mounted in the recess 73 and at the center of its lower surface it is provided with a cupped seat for the rounded top of the shank 70. A tinger 86, pivotally mounted on the lever 72, rests on the upper end of theplunger 84.

A rod 90 bears on the finger and is pressed H- downwardly by a spring 92 set into thearm 72. Thus the plunger tends to keep the shank 70 centrally positioned with its rounded upper end in the seat in the plunger as shown in Fig. l. \Vhen the'lower end of the tool strikes the lip, however, the tool is tilted against the force of the spring 92. about an axis near one side of the base of the conical shank 'l'l -which axis will be over and slightly above the lip as shown in Fig. 3. The relative pro iorti-ons of the recess 7 and the seat 'for the rounded topv of the shank 70 are such thatthe top of the shank will never be wholly removed from the seat, thus as soon asthe pressure on the lip is removed the downward spring pressure of the plunger 86 will again centralize the position. of the tool. The path of travel of the tool'64 may be adjustedfto accommodate treaties lips of different.thickness, by means of the eccentric stud 76. yThe force of the blow of the tool may be varied by adjusting the screw 96 which forms the rigid abutment for the spring 92. I

The work supporting roll i l-is provided with a second'conical surface 9-1 which supports the sole below and inside. the line of the lip thereby bending the feather at an angle to the body of the sole asshown .in Figs. 3 and4-..

As will be apparent from/an inspection of Fig. 1, when the trcadle is depressed for the removal or insertion of work the arm 26 and, perforce, the shaft l0 will be moved downwardly. As this shaft carries the eccentric 82 bodily in a downward. direction, it will swing the lever 72 and thus move the tool GIL in a substantially horizontal plane away from the roll 12 to allow room to insert or remove the lip.

The nature and scope of the present in vention having been indicated and its pre ferred embodiment having been specifically described, what is claimed as new is? 1. In a machine for operating uponlipped soles, a pair of frusto-conical feed rolls having their apexes substantially coinciding arranged to grip and feed the feather between their conical surfaces and having their smaller faces directed toward each other and the center of the sole.

2. A machine for operating on lipped soles having, in combination, a work supporting roll having a frusto-conical feather supporting surface and a second conical surface to support the sole inside of the feather, and a feed roll having a frusto-conical feather engaging surface, the apex of which approxi mately coincides with the apex of the frustoconical feather su porting surface.

A machine for operating on a sole hav ing an upstanding lip having, in combination, a tool for operating at the inner face of the lip, and sole feeding means constructed and arranged to impart a greater feeding movement to the periphery of the sole than is imparted to the inner portions of the sole to act similarly on both sides of the sole to impart the same feeding movement to both sides of the sole.

4. A machine for operating on lipped soles having, in combination, a tool for operating at the inner face of the lip, and a pair of rolls to grip and feed the feather therebetween having their feather engaging surfaces in the form of truncated cones both arranged with their larger bases directed away from the center of the sole and having the smaller peripheries of said conical surface portions in substantial coincidence at their points of contact.

5. A rib tightening machine for reinforced insoles having, in combination, mechanism for pressing reinforcing fabric into theangles at the base of the rib comprising insideand outside tools, and rolls positively driven at the same surface speeds for, feeding the insole past said tools tending confabric pressing tools at each sideof the rib, said tool at the inner side of the rib comprising roll and said tool at the outer side of the rib comprising a truncated conebearing #with its circumferential surface 011 the feather, and a cooperating insole supporting and feeding roll comprising a truncated cone the circumferential surface of which engagesthe feather opposite said outside pressing tool, the larger bases of said cones being directed away from each other and the center of the sole, said cones having their apexes in substantial coincidence.

7. A machine for operating on soles having, in combination, a feed roll, a work supporting roll, a single means for rotating the rolls, and means for moving one of the rolls and the rotating means toward and from the other roll.

8. A machine for operating on lipped soles having, in combination, a pair of work feeding rolls, a vibratory lip engaging tool having its pivot in fixed relation with one of the rolls, means having a fixed relation with the other roll for actuating the rolls and the tool, and means for relatively separating the rolls and the tool from each other.

9. A machine for operating on lipped soles having, in combination, a work supporting roll mounted on a pivoted arm, a feed roll, a vibrating lip engaging tool, actuating means carried by the arm for rolls and the tool, and means for moving the arm and separating the tool from the roll through the agency of said actuating means.

10. A machine for operating on lipped soles having, in combination, a work supporting roll mounted on a pivoted arm, a feed roll, a lip engaging tool mounted to oscillate about a fixed point, a shaft carried by the arm and provided with a single actuating means for the rolls, an eccentric secured to the shaft and operatively connected with the tool, and means for moving the arm about its pivot to depress the work supporting roll and move the tool away from the feed roll.

11. A machine for operating on lipped soles having, in combination, a lip support, a lip engaging tool extending substantially vertical to the body of the sole, means for bodily reciprocating the tool to compress the lip against the lip support, and means to permit the tool to tilt about an axis at right angles to the line of its length.

12. In a machine for operating on lipped soles, a lip engaging tool having a ball and shank, a reciprocating member loosely engaging the base and periphery of the shank, 15

a plunger having a seat for the apex of the conical shank, and a spring acting to retain the apex of the shank within the seat.

15. A machine for operating on lipped soles having, in combination, a driving 20 shaft, an arm pivotally mounted thereon, a Work supporting roll carried by the arm, a feed roll, a lip engaging tool, and means mounted on the arm for operatively connecting the driving shaft and the rolls and tool. 25

THOMAS H. SEELY. 

